Hockey players stepped aside this weekend to lend a clean sheet of ice to the University of Toronto Figure Skating Invitational. The annual competition, which brought together ten university figure skating teams from across Eastern Canada, was a chance for the Varsity Blues to showcase their hard work with style. The Blues persevered, earning second place overall after Queen’s University.

The Invitational is the second of the three major competitions the Blues will skate in this year, and their success in the event was a marked improvement on previous years.

The competition consists of fifteen events in total, including solos, pairs and fours of both dance and free skating. The two-day affair concludes with synchronized skating, a meticulously choreographed number for sixteen skaters.

Toronto had an impressive showing, especially in the individual events. The Blues placed first in both of the top categories in free skate. Frances Lee dominated the Short Program, and Rebecca Salisbury, former Canadian Junior National Champion, wiped the ice clean with the competition in the Open Free Skate. The Senior Bronze Free Skate, with fewer technical requirements, was easily scooped up by Toronto skater Jennifer Leek, who gave a commanding performance over her competitors.

In addition to their dazzling jumps and spins, the Blues also had a strong showing in the Dance events. In pairs, Claire Lee and Tamara Makovec took third place in the Intermediate Similar Dance, and Laura Milne and Vivienne Macy snagged a second place in the Senior event. The Bronze Rhythm Dance, which resembles a waltz for four, was skated by Linda Tsuji, Vivienne Macy, Miranda Hall and Alyssa Hall. Despite the tough competition, the four triumphed with a second place finish.

Just when everything seemed so intense, along came Trent University’s Jonathan Berlingeri, the competition’s only male entrant. Despite the pressure of skating in front of 200 women, Berlingeri skated well, winning both of his events by default.

In the synchronized skating event, choreographed by team skater Vivienne Macy, Toronto placed a somewhat disappointing fifth. Shockingly, the synchronized skating event was won by the University of Guelph team, who had a poor showing in most other events.

The Blues coaches are pleased with Toronto’s second place finish at the Invitational, citing the team’s dramatic improvement from the 8th and 9th place finishes in the 2000-2001 season. Coach Sylvia Gryniewski says some of the team’s newfound strength lies in the arrival of new talent.

Gryniewski says the progress of newcomer Claire Lee is one impressive story. Prior to this season, Lee had never skated competitively, and has already achieved a third-place finish in a tough event. Fellow coach Kelly Duffin attributes the team’s success this season to the bonding of the team members.

“It’s a lot easier to make those early morning practices when you like who you’re skating with,” said coach Kimberley Graves.

Egged on by the small, yet obnoxiously noisy crowd of Toronto supporters, most of the Blues skaters were happy with their results. Coach Gryniewski says the team is always searching for new recruits, especially women who have been out of skating for a while but still have a keen interest in the sport. She says the appeal of competitive figure skating is that skaters of varying abilities are needed to fill the events with different skill requirements.

“[It’s] a sport where team players and individual competitors can both thrive.”